John Healey recently visited Brookfield Junior Academy in Swinton to help officially open their new library space, alongside Principal Miss Dunning, English Lead Mrs Pounder, the dedicated junior librarians, and Councillors Victoria Cusworth and Nigel Harper.
Emily, Freya, Elilar, Violet, Alice, and Jackson serve as the school’s junior librarians and have been inspiring a love of reading among their peers. In the new library, they’ve recommended their favourite books to help others discover new stories.
The library was made possible thanks to a school-wide sponsored read-a-thon, with pupils from Nursery to Year 6 raising an impressive £1,300 to transform a spare classroom into a quiet reading space. The Libraries for Primaries scheme provided a brilliant collection of over 500 fiction and non-fiction books to stock the shelves.
John Healey, Member of Parliament for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, said
“It was a privilege to open Brookfield Junior Academy’s new library. Reading at a young age is the foundation of learning, and this wonderful space, fundraised by the pupils themselves, will inspire imagination and a love of reading for years to come.
“The passion of Brookfield’s junior librarians proves that children don’t just read books. They share them, recommend them, and inspire their peers to read.
“This new library will be enjoyed by all pupils at Brookfield for years to come. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
Daisy Dunning, Principal of Brookfield Junior Academy, said
“Although Brookfield has always had book corners and reading areas, we now have a beautiful well-stocked whole school library that can be accessed by all classes with a focus on reading for pleasure and the love of books.
“Our reading lead Mrs (Liz) Pounder has been working with the National Literacy Trust and this has led to 500 books being given to the new library plus some furnishings and has also helped with the training of our ‘junior librarians’ who are Year 6 pupils.
“I am incredibly proud of our children for their fantastic fundraising efforts towards our new library. “Their enthusiasm and determination have helped transform this project from an idea into a reality.
“A huge thank you to Mrs Pounder for organising the entire project so brilliantly, and to our newly appointed librarians who have taken on their roles with such excitement and responsibility.
“We’ve been eagerly awaiting our library open day for weeks and were thrilled to welcome John Healey MP to join us at the launch.
“Now that it’s finally here, we can’t wait for classes to begin using this wonderful new space.”